The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Ascension Part 4
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 2 of 3, Part 4 of 5) Lilac and Carol find Maria bruised, battered, and alone; it takes very little to get them to help her. But can they persuade Mayor Zao of Shang Mu? And what's happening deep inside Shang Tu Palace?
1. Chapter 1

"Did you hear that?" a voice whispers in the darkness.

"Yeah; sounded like someone screaming," a second voice whispers back.

"Sounds like someone needs help; I'm going to go check it out."

"No surprise there; let me know how it goes."

"You'll follow me; you always do."

"You think you know me so well… and you do, so let's go. Shall I wake-"

"No, let her sleep; we shouldn't be long."

The two slide out of bed, dress quickly, and head out into the night.

* * *

The two friends cover the area surrounding their home, heading in the direction they heard the scream come from; it doesn't take long before they come across the bike and the lifeless lynx a few yards from it.

"Here she is!" the second voice calls.

"I see her," the first replies as she joins the second. "It's Maria! And she's hurt! We'd better get her home and patched up."

"What's Maria doing all the way out here at this time of night?"

"No idea; we'll ask her in the morning. Now give me a hand."

* * *

Early morning, a thoroughly-bandaged Maria stirs awake; slowly opening her eyes, she's greeted by a big smiling face topped with ginger hair. Training and instinct take over; within seconds, Maria has flipped herself on top of the puppy, pinning her to the sofa. "Where am I? Who are you? What's going on?" Maria growls.

"My treehouse, Milla Basset, and getting yourself into trouble," a stern yet kindly voice replies.

Maria looks to the owner of the voice. The sight of a purple dragoness and her green wildcat friend takes her by surprise; she falls off the sofa, landing with an undignified thud. "I… I mean… I didn't… Lilac?" Maria asks, picking herself up.

"Correct," Lilac confirms. "Welcome to our home. Now, why-"

Maria throws herself at Lilac, hugging her tightly. " _I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you!_ " she babbles, crying unrestrained tears of joy and relief.

Lilac, surprised by Maria's reaction, exchanges confused looks with Carol. "Whatever's wrong, we're here to help," she replies reassuringly, holding Maria gently. "What happened?"

"I found you… I finally found you… It's not all over… We can save them…" Maria replies, her voice weak yet clearly relieved.

"This… might take a while," Lilac sighs. "Carol, can you sort out breakfast?"

"Sure thing," Carol agrees, heading to the kitchen.

"You OK Milla?" Lilac asks.

"Yeah," Milla assures, sitting up. "Sorry for waking her up."

"Don't worry about it; saved me the hassle," Lilac winks.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes a full fifteen minutes to calm Maria down enough for her to tell her story. Beginning with a brief summary of their Gotoshi mission, she then details Hanna's kidnap, the subsequent investigation, seeing the Jade battle fleet, and returning to Shang Tu; she just about finishes describing her escape before she collapses into tears once more, wailing " _I'm the only one left!_ ".

"That's horrible!" Milla sobs in sympathy, placing her arms around Maria and hugging her warmly.

"Agreed," Lilac assures, her eyes moist. "But why didn't Gong call us?"

"The phone lines are down?" Carol guesses; Maria's nod confirms her suspicion.

"This Aquila knows what he's doing," Lilac comments. "Shang Tu's always been weak when it comes to open warfare; they never stood a chance."

"You have the 'Miss Heropants' look again," Carol observes.

"And you know what that means," Lilac replies.

"I'll get Maria's bike," Carol volunteers; with Lilac's nod of agreement, she disappears out the treehouse.

"What are we going to do?" Milla asks.

"Once Carol returns with Maria's bike, we'll head to Shang Mu and get Mayor Zao to send his army to liberate Shang Tu," Lilac explains.

"What if he doesn't want to help?" Milla continues.

"Then you pull the same trick you did when we were chasing down the Kingdom Stone," Lilac winks; Milla giggles at the memory.

"What trick?" Maria asks weakly, drying her eyes in vain.

"Want to demonstrate?" Lilac prompts Milla.

"Sure!" Milla dabs her eyes dry, then jumps down on all fours in front of Maria, fixing her with a look so cute it'd warm the heart of a statue.

"Wow," Maria breathes in awe. "And I thought _I_ was cute…"

* * *

An hour later, Carol returns to the den, a little greasy from working on Maria's bike; Lilac and Milla are watching cartoons, and Maria is curled up, napping on the sofa, purring softly.

"What took you so long?" Lilac inquires.

"Had to make a few repairs," Carol explains. "The fuel tank was totally drained and sludge had been pulled into the injectors; luckily, none of it went in the cylinders."

"How's it running now?"

"It's purring like… well, like Maria," Carol quips.

"Good," Lilac smiles. "Suppose we'd better wake her up so we can-"

Milla's loud "rrrrrrrRUP" startles Maria awake; she falls off the sofa with a thud.

"Did you _have_ to wake me like that?" Maria grumbles, standing and rubbing the base of her tail; Lilac stifles a giggle.

"She does that to me all the time," Carol sighs.


	3. Chapter 3

As Maria and Team Lilac depart for Shang Mu, Chika is heading a patrol of one of Shang Tu's suburbs, specifically one that had seen combat the day before; Aquila had despatched her and her retinue to mop up any remaining resistance. So far, their patrol had turned up no-one; news of the invasion had spread through the city like wildfire, and most of the civilians had fled to the countryside. A few remained behind, mainly the elderly and infirm; Chika orders that they be left alone as they pose no threat.

As they continue their patrol, Chika begins to suspect Aquila is simply keeping her busy and out of the way; this suspicion vanishes the instant she turns onto a street with several craters in the tarmac and lined with badly damaged vehicles on either side.

"Eyes peeled guys," Chika advises. "Looks like quite the battle scene; there might be guerrillas hiding somewhere. Spread and sweep, formation _hachi_."

The retinue fans out and begins to sweep the area; Chika draws her sansetsukon and walks up the middle of the street, knowing her retinue has her flanks covered. After a few minutes, she spots the remains of a bus shelter with an oddly familiar steel blue form tangled within. Quickening her pace, she approaches in a combat run; when she gets close, she slides to a halt in shock. "Water…"

Xander stirs in response to Chika's voice; groggily, he raises his head. "Hi there," he croaks. "Promise me you'll make it quick."

Chika doesn't respond; she simply kneels down beside Xander and holds his hand.

"Ah, I get it: Aquila wants me alive," Xander theorises.

"No," Chika replies, her voice almost inaudible. " _I_ want you alive."

"I don't-"

Chika places a finger on Xander's mouth to silence him. "Don't speak; I'll get you help."

Chika's retinue approaches, their sweep complete. "All clear ma'am, aside from wolfie here," the lieutenant reports. "Want us to finish this guy off?"

Chika clears her throat. "No," she commands. "Continue your patrol; I'll handle the wolf."

"Are you sure ma'am?" the lieutenant questions, unsure about Chika's motivation.

"Very; he's one of the Elemental Protectors," Chika answers. "Aquila ordered us Grand Masters to deal with them personally," she lies.

"Very well, ma'am." The lieutenant salutes and leads the retinue to the next street.

"Now they're gone, I can focus on getting you to a hospital," Chika smiles.

"But I'm the enemy," Xander argues.

"Doesn't mean I can't show compassion," Chika counters. "Now, Water, shut up and let me help you."

"Call me Xander."

"OK; Xander, shut up and let me help you."

Chika finds an abandoned pick-up truck; the windows are all broken, the bodywork is peppered with shrapnel, and one of the tyres is flat; mechanically though, the vehicle is sound. Chika opens the door and hotwires the ignition, then manoeuvres the truck into position. It takes considerable effort to load Xander onto the flatbed; he helps as best he can, but his injuries make it almost impossible to use his natural strength. Eventually, he's safely aboard; Chika consults her intelligence, then drives off towards the nearest hospital, hoping it's one the Jades left alone.


	4. Chapter 4

With Xander safely delivered to a mercifully untouched hospital, where there are thankfully enough staff to give him at least basic treatment, Chika reunites with her retinue as they finish the patrol route; the task complete, they all return to the main battle force, where they find the Jade advance has stalled. With the lockdown in full effect, the Royal Palace is proving impenetrable; the Jade Alliance have been laying siege since sundown the previous day.

* * *

Deep within the Palace lie the most secure laboratories on Avalice; one in particular can only be accessed by three individuals. The Magister is secure in a purpose-built safe room, General Gong is running the counter-siege, and Sally Flynn is helping Danny and four Shang Tu troopers to guard the lab in question; currently, the guards are outside the lab, with Danny and Sally napping in the decontamination chamber between the corridor and the lab itself. As midday arrives, Danny is woken from his snooze by an unusual noise; with a gentle nudge, he wakes Sally.

"Hmm?" Sally inquires, lifting her head from Danny's chest.

"Can you hear something?" Danny whispers.

Sally focusses on the sounds around her. "I can hear a… slithering?"

"Stay still, and don't make a sound," Danny instructs; sliding out from under Sally, he stands and patrols the room, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. "Someone's in the air ducts," he concludes a minute later.

"They're too small to get through, even for your lynx friend," Sally assures.

"Well, there's someone in them right now, so I guess they're bigger than you thought."

"I can guarantee you they are genuinely too small," Sally rebuts. "The only type of creature that could stand even the slightest chance would be a- oh."

"Oh?"

"One of the prisoners is a viper."

"Serpentine!" Danny exclaims. "So, Aquila was playing the long game all along…"

"Who's Aquila?"

"The one who unified the Jade Alliance and set them on this city, and the one who should be prevented from getting the Crystals at all costs."

"He won't be able to get the Crystals themselves," Sally assures. "They're in a combination safe with a glass relocker."

"I want to see them so I can be sure they're still there."

"Seriously?"

"I just want to see with my own eyes."

"OK," Sally agrees, standing up; fetching her crutches, she opens the door and enters the lab itself, Danny following behind. They head directly to the safe; once in front of it, Sally enters the combination and opens the door. "See? All five right where they belong."

"Good," Danny sighs in relief. "Now, lock up and let's-"

A dart strikes Danny; a moment later, Sally is hit by an identical dart. The paralysis toxin takes effect in seconds; they both fall to the floor, unable to move.

"That was too easy!" a voice cackles from the shadows; a moment later, Serpentine slithers out, holding the dart gun with his tail. "Now, what to do with you two?" Looking around, he sees an empty, lockable crate; it takes a full ten minutes to manoeuvre both Danny and Sally into the crate and lock them inside. "That would have been a lot easier if I had arms…"

A few minutes later, Serpentine returns to the air ducts, Elemental Crystals in tow.


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later, and with the paralysis toxin now fully metabolised, Danny and Sally start working on how to escape their cramped confines.

"Lucky this thing has air holes," Sally grunts as she tries to give Danny more room.

"We should never have allowed ourselves to be trapped in the first place," Danny argues as he analyses the interior of the crate for weaknesses.

"It's not _my_ fault we're in here!" Sally counters angrily. "It was _you_ who wanted to see the Crystals so badly!"

"And it was you who had the clearance to do it," Danny calmly reminds. "Anyway, this is an argument that can wait for another time; right now, let's get out of this crate and get those Crystals back."

"And how do you suppose we get out of here then?" Sally seethes. "Ninja magic?"

"You are trapped in a confined space with a trained assassin," Danny flatly states. "That's not the sort of person you want to annoy."

"You won't kill me," Sally states defiantly.

"Wanna bet?" Danny replies.

"You almost died protecting me," Sally reminds.

"Don't make me regret it," Danny hisses; Sally wisely withholds her comeback.

With Sally now silent, Danny returns to the task of escaping the crate; with almost no light, he is forced to use only his sense of touch to find a weakness. After fifteen minutes of careful analysis, he concludes that there's no easy way out.

"We have two options," Danny sighs. "One: we force the lid off the crate with brute strength. Two: we wait until we're rescued. And neither option fills me with confidence."

"What's wrong with the first plan?" Sally asks. "You're strong, are you not?"

"Compared to the average citizen, yes; compared to Xander, no. And I think even he'd struggle to break this crate."

"And the second?"

"Only three people can get into this lab; one is in a safe room, the second is running the counter-offensive-"

"And the third got herself locked in this accursed crate," Sally finishes. "So we're doomed to die of thirst locked in a crate together."

"We should at least _try_ to make our escape," Danny suggests. "I think I've found the hinged side; if I can get enough force on the opposite side, I might be able to at least weaken the lock. Then, hopefully, a brutal kick will break it."

"Worth a shot, I guess." Sally sighs.

After a few minutes awkward manoeuvring, Sally is squeezed uncomfortably at one end of the crate; she grimaces as her cast flexes alarmingly. Danny lies flat on his back alongside her and places his feet as close to the lock as he can; summoning all his strength, he begins to push.

"Please hurry," Sally winces five minutes later. "My leg is really starting to hurt."

"I'm trying… as hard… as I can!" Danny grunts; seconds later, the crate creaks.

"Is that a good sound?" Sally asks.

"Please… quiet," Danny grimaces; the strain of pushing is taking its toll.

After a few more minutes of pushing and creaking, Danny finally relents. "That's it… I'm spent… I can't… push… anymore," he pants. "Just… the kick… left…" Danny takes a few deep breaths, then kicks the lid with both feet as hard as he can.

The lock fails; the lid flies open so hard it almost breaks the hinges too.

"Thank… the Ancients… it worked!" Danny pants in relief. "Need… to recover… a few minutes," he adds, stiffly sliding to the end of the crate.

Sally takes advantage of the room to turn and lay her legs flat, her feet resting on Danny. "Me too," she sighs as the pain in her broken leg eases.


	6. Chapter 6

As Danny and Sally free themselves from their confines, Maria and Team Lilac reach the outskirts of Shang Mu; they head directly for the Town Hall, and an impromptu meeting with Mayor Zao.

* * *

As the afternoon turns into evening, the buzz of activity in Shang Mu Town Hall begins to die down. One by one, the civil servants clock off and head for home; before long, the only people left are the Mayoral family and their house staff.

Sat behind his overly ornate and opulent oak desk, Mayor Zao finishes the last of the day's chores. With the final ordinance reviewed, signed, and in the outbox to be delivered to the civil service the next day, he opens the small refrigerator to his left, takes out a bottle of amber liquid, and pours a measure into a small glass. After returning the bottle to the fridge, Zao reclines his chair and sips his drink. _Another day's mayoring is at an end. And the best thing about it? Not having to talk to that pompous 'Royal Magister'. He could have at least_ told _me his plans had changed; I'd have been done an hour ago if he-_

Zao's thought train is brought to a crashing halt by his desk phone ringing. _This better not be more work; I promised to take Ming Zu out for dinner tonight…_ Reluctantly picking up the phone, Zao mutters "This better be good" in a neutral tone that fails to hide his frustration.

"Sir, there are four visitors here to see you," the security guard informs. "They say it's urgent they speak with you."

"Tell them to come back in the morning," Zao sighs. "I have a date tonight, and I intend to keep it."

"Very well sir," the guard replies. "I'll inform Miss Lilac of our-"

"Miss Lilac?" Zao exclaims. "Why didn't you say so? Let them in, let them in! Even better, bring them to my office! Oh, and get the chef to bring up some food and drink for them too!"

The guard takes a moment to reply. "As you wish sir."

Five minutes later, Team Lilac enters the Mayor's office; the weapon-less Maria hangs back at the door, unsure whether she's allowed into the room or not.

"My friends!" Zao greets a little over-enthusiastically. "So wonderful to see you again! Who's your new friend?"

"The pleasure is all ours," Lilac greets in return, bowing respectfully in unison with Carol and Milla. "This is Maria Shanmao; she's not a friend _per se_ , but she is-" Lilac pauses when she realises Maria didn't follow them into the room; she heads over to the nervous lynx. "You can come in," Lilac assures. "You're with us."

"What if he finds out I broke in here five months ago and found plans for the Kingdom Stone heist?" Maria whispers. "He'll have me arrested!"

"He won't find out unless you tell him," Lilac whispers back.

"But what if you tell him?" Maria asks. "You are Miss Goody-Blue-Boots, after all."

"Tell him what?" Lilac winks.

"About the- oh!" Maria replies.

"Plus, it's not like my own past is squeaky-clean," Lilac adds.

"Good point," Maria acknowledges. "Wait," she adds a moment later, "why is he being so friendly with you?"

"As it turns out, saving a planet wins you lots of new friends," Lilac explains.

"Sounds nice," Maria observes; Lilac doesn't reply, but her expression betrays her doubts.

Rejoining Carol and Milla, Maria half-hides herself behind Lilac; she manages an awkward bow and a nervous "Hi" before looking at her shoes.

"So, what is this urgent matter you wish to speak with me?" Zao asks.

"Shang Tu is under attack by an army from an area known as the Gotoshi," Lilac reports. "Maria can fill you in on the whole story."

"Me?" Maria gasps.

"You're the best one to tell it," Lilac assures.

"But-"

"You'll be fine; just tell the Mayor what you told us."

"OK." Maria takes a deep breath to calm her nerves; slowly, she edges out from behind Lilac and approaches the desk. "Your Mayorness, I… sorry, kinda nervous; keep thinking you'll have me arrested for breaking in- I-I didn't break in anywhere! I… Give me a sec." Maria takes another deep breath, and starts again. "It all started three weeks ago, when Sally turned up outside our house; she was being chased by these big meanies on motorbikes…"


	7. Chapter 7

"…and I… I'm the only one… the only one that got out." With the story complete, Maria sits down, buries her face in her hands, and cries.

"We found her just a few hundred yards from our home," Lilac adds. "Realising we would have been contacted directly if possible, we figured the Magister and General Gong were left with no choice but to trust a Red Scarf to bring the news to us."

"Maria is an active member of the Red Scarves?" Zao asks, suspiciously.

"That is correct," Lilac confirms.

"Then how do we know this isn't some sort of trick?" Zao continues. "If I send my army to Shang Tu, only to find everything is fine, my people will turn against me, and I'll never get re-elected!"

"Shang Tu is under attack, and you're worried about your re-election?" Carol exclaims; no-one notices Maria has stopped crying.

"Despatching the army is expensive!" Zao explains. "Do you have any idea how unpopular I'd be if I wasted all that money on a fool's errand?"

"Lives are at stake!" Carol replies heatedly.

"Carol, stay calm please," Lilac requests. "And stop growling."

"I'm not growling," Carol rebuts.

"Then who-" Lilac begins; the realisation hits her. "Maria, stop!" she cries, lunging to grab hold of Maria's wrists before she can leap at Zao.

" _Why would I lie about my friends being captured and killed?_ " Maria growls menacingly, pulling against Lilac's grasp.

"Maria, this isn't helping!" Lilac pleads, holding Maria's wrists firmly. "Please, calm down!"

Maria doesn't respond immediately, but she does stop struggling; after a few moments, her growling fades into nothing, though she doesn't lose her hard expression. "My friends are the most valuable things in the world to me, and I will do _anything_ to get them back. _Especially_ my Hanna."

Lilac and Carol exchange confused looks at Maria's last sentence.

"Please sir, she really needs your help to save her friends," Milla interjects, addressing Zao directly with the same cute look she previously demonstrated to Maria. "You'd be a hero!"

"A hero?" Zao thinks out loud.

"I have a plan; play along," Lilac whispers in Maria's ear; she then turns to Zao. "And I hear there are some _very_ valuable gemstones the Magister may be willing to part with in exchange for liberating his city," she informs.

Maria almost argues with Lilac; at the last moment, she checks herself and addresses Zao instead. "I've seen them; they're really big and pretty!" she adds.

"Big valuable gems?" Zao thinks out loud.

Lilac presses home the advantage. "And you'd be saving the Magister himself; you'll be able to use that to help get re-elected."

"Re-elected?" Zao pauses to think for a few moments. "I guess I _could_ send the army to help…"

"That would be wonderful!" Milla chirps.

"There'll be a parade in your honour!" Lilac adds.

Zao grins widely. "A parade? Then what are we wasting time here for? Let's get you your army!"


	8. Chapter 8

Three hours later, the Shang Mu army is ready to leave. At the head of the army, Zao's personal airship is preparing for take-off; Zao, Maria, and Team Lilac are grouped at the bottom of the boarding ramp.

"While the four of you are welcome to travel on my airship, I must insist that Maria be confined to her quarters during the journey," Zao informs.

"Don't worry," Milla assures Maria. "I'll keep you company!"

"Thanks, but I'll be OK," Maria responds. "I'll probably sleep through the whole trip anyway."

"I'll meet you guys at the muster point," Lilac informs.

"You're not coming with us?" Carol asks.

"I have something I want to collect on the way," Lilac winks; Carol returns a knowing smile.

* * *

As the sun rises the following morning, the Shang Mu army arrives at the muster point a few miles out of Shang Tu; Carol and Milla escort Maria to the deck of the airship to await the arrival of Lilac.

"Anyone see her?" Carol asks and she and Milla scan the skies.

"Not yet," Milla reports.

"What is she getting anyway?" Maria asks.

"You'll see," Carol grins cryptically.

Suddenly, a deep, fierce roar echoes through the air; the trio spin to look where it came from, Maria hiding behind Carol and Milla in trepidation. A moment later, a magnificent great dragon rises over the stern of the airship, casting a cold shadow over the entire deck.

"What is _that?_ " Maria asks, her voice shaking.

"Our secret weapon!" Carol grins.

The great dragon descends to the deck, its head directly over the group. As it descends, its form becomes semi-transparent, revealing the twin-tentacled white-and-blue robot within.

Lilac drops from the robot, landing gracefully on the deck. "This fella should tip the balance in our favour, don't you think?" she grins as the robot falls in alongside her, the hologram now extinguished.

Maria swallows hard, slowly recovering her composure. "That's… _yours?_ "

"Meet Pangu," Lilac replies, fondly stroking the top of the robot's casing. "Found him in Pangu Lagoon, hence the name. Wasn't the politest of meetings; he tried to kill me. But then I kicked him in the face, and since then he's been a faithful friend; if it wasn't for him, we may never have made it to the Dreadnought alive."

"How?" Maria asks, confused and curious.

"You'll see," Lilac winks. "Oh, and don't tell Zao about him; he'll only want one for himself."

As if on cue, Mayor Zao emerges from below decks; Lilac hastily shoos Pangu away to hide.

"The presence of the great dragon proves today shall see a glorious victory!" Zao boasts as he joins the girls; Lilac and Carol exchange knowing looks. "Did I miss something?" Zao asks.

"No, not at all!" Lilac assures.

"Very well," Zao continues. "We'll land soon; your bikes have both been fully refuelled. No tanks this time; I don't have any to spare."

"We'll do without," Carol assures.

"I prefer fighting from a bike anyway," Maria adds.

"Glorious!" Zao exclaims. "And with _my_ leadership, victory is certain!"

As Zao departs, Maria turns to Lilac. "He's not _really_ going to lead us into battle, is he?" she asks.

"If by 'lead' you mean 'stay at least five miles behind', then yes," Lilac assures.

"So what's the plan, Miss Heropants?" Carol asks; Maria giggles at the name.

"Simple," Lilac explains. "While our army occupies their army, we protect the Crystals from Aquila and the Grand Masters."

"Agreed," Maria replies. "Just one condition."

"Hm?"

"If you can, leave Aquila to _me_."


End file.
